Loki: The End of the World Tour is the year’s best show so far

Fresh from the news that Red Theatre’s premiere of Zach Barr’s The Pilon is this year’s winner of the ATCA/Steinberg Best New Play award, Chicago has another storefront world premiere that, I predict, will be in the running for this and other accolades next year. Lifeline Theatre’s absolutely brilliant production of Loki: The End of the World Tour is the kind of play that sneaks into your life when you are not expecting it and somehow takes a story you’ve probably heard before and drives new life into it. It is also a musical you’ll be thinking about and wishing you had a soundtrack album for, well, as long as it takes for them to make one (which I hope to Odin will be very soon).

Written by Lifeline ensemble members Christina Calvit and George Howe, and directed by its managing director, Heather Currie, Loki takes the form of a rock musical about the Norse gods. Narrated by three omniscient “Norns” (who also are the small band that supplies the music: Kara Olander, Alex Boggio, and co-music director Kelan Smith), Loki follows the introduction of the shape-shifting trickster god to Asgard, where he (Loki’s shape-shifting abilities render binary pronouns useless, though Jack Chilinski portrays the god as defaulting to male, as usually is the case, so I’ll use masculine pronouns here) seems to genuinely desire to make a new home after leaving the frozen land of the ice giants. Quickly, Loki ingratiates himself to the All-Father, Odin (Scott Danielson), who insists on performing a ceremony to make them blood brothers.

The other major Norse gods have varying reactions to Loki. Freya (Janelle Sanabria) distrusts him immediately, but then she bears a secret herself which might make such things easier for her to see. Thor (Keenan Odenkirk) also distrusts Loki, but maybe that’s because Odin takes to him so easily and Thor is jealous. Baldur (Peter Gertas), the sweet god of light, beauty, and purity, is fine with the newcomer, but then of course he is: he’s the sweet god of light, etc. And Sigyn (India Rentaria), a minor goddess, falls completely in love with Loki, who has brought with him his three children, the dark goddess Hel (Grace Reidenauer), the wolf Fenris (Anthony Kayer), and the Midgard Serpent (Avery Thompson). When Loki tells Odin of them, the All-Father instantly realizes the peril they bring: he has had a vision that the arrival of beings on two legs, four legs, and no legs who are covered in skin, fur, and scales will be the cause of Ragnarok, the bloody war that will herald the end of Asgard.

That’s a hell of a lot of plot to present, not to mention the two dozen songs (including reprises) that Howe composed for the show, but Calvit’s book, for the most part, pulls it off. (The first act is a bit too long and could stand to be cut, but that’s the nature of things with a world premiere musical.)

The singers here are all wonderful. As Loki, Chilinski is perfect whether sincerely wooing Sigyn, worrying about his children, manipulating other gods, or even while “shape-shifted.” Their powerful vocals are reassured and wonderfully assertive while retaining the charismatic pleasure that Loki finds in simply being himself. His duets with Danielson soar, and the calmer moments (with the quieter Sigyn, for example, or while expressing his love for his children) give him emotional depth. Sanabria and Reidenauer especially bring powerful performances, and Reidenauer is especially good as a teenage goddess who is half alive and half dead (yet tantrums like a chief). Kayer, too, steals the show during a song as an ice giant who is way too much a stan of Freya.

Currie’s direction here is flawless, and Lifeline’s small stage somehow allows this twelve-character show plenty of room to breathe. Everyone (even the “Norns”) has ample space and time to develop their characters, and the musicians all have opportunities to rock out. (Wait until you discover how Ragnarok is staged and accompanied: it’s inspired!) Currie also takes advantage of all of the aisles and other spaces that Lifeline offers, and there are some stunning stage pictures she derives from that.

Technically, Loki is top-notch as well, from G. “Max” Maxin IV’s rock show lighting to Lindsay Mummert’s broken-down theatre scenic design to Aly Amidei’s stunning costumes to Emily Hayman’s sound design to Saskia Bakker’s props (and even sillier bits like “flying” Thor’s hammer or bringing on a fan to blow his hair while he sings).

This incredible ensemble effort has created what, 4+ months into the year, is easily the best show of 2026 so far: a show that could have been complicated and confusing instead hits every note and every emotion. This layered show ultimately boils down to a tribute to parental love, whether it is the misguided effort by Odin to save his family and their beloved Asgard or the desperate love of Loki for his “little monsters”: a thoroughly inventive and impassioned way to bring this story of gods down to earth. See this show if there is any way to do so: you don’t want to miss it.

Loki: The End of the World Tour is a Lifeline Theatre world premiere now playing at 6912 N. Glenwood Ave, Chicago, through June 14. Check the website for specific dates, times, and tickets. Find more information about current plays in our front page recs and at theatreinchicago.com.